Kaua‘i County Mayor Derek Kawakami told reporters Friday that now is not the right time for tourists to visit the island that is still digging itself “out of the mud” from Hurricane Lowell.
“When we recover to a point where we can handle more capacity coming in,” Kawakami said the island will “gladly welcome” visitors.
While he did not give a timeline when that would happen, he said: “We are going to recover faster than I think we anticipated.”
Tourism is a major economic engine for the small Hawaiian Island. During September, approximately 102,000 tourists visit Kauaʻi, according to Hawaiʻi Tourism Industry data. But September also is a “shoulder” month, when the number of summer visitors drops significantly after Labor Day.
As of Saturday, about 24% of Kauaʻi was still without power, according to the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative. But that number is a significant improvement from the more than 90% of customers that were without electricity after the outer bands of the Category 2 storm battered Kauaʻi.
And, a lot of the storm damage was done in touristy areas along some coastlines, which were pummeled with big surf, storm surge and high winds.
An official with the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau told Kauaʻi Now the bureau didn’t have any specific guidance for visitors, stating it is in line with the county’s guidance.
The Kauaʻi Visitor Bureau is an island chapter of the Hawaiʻi Visitors & Convention Bureau, which is contracted by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority for destination marketing.
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority posted guidance on its website on Sept. 9 that encourages travelers with upcoming Kauaʻi plans to reschedule or consider visiting another Hawaiian island instead of canceling their trip.
“Kauaʻi County and the state are clearing roads and restoring power to local communities following Hurricane Lowell, prioritizing the health and safety of its residents as recovery efforts continue,” the website states.
For those visitors who still have plans to travel in the immediate future to Kaua‘i, Kawakami said: “When someone puts their feet on our soil, they’re one of us; they’re now part of our community.
“We have an obligation to host and take care, make sure they’re safe, but in that sense, visitors have an obligation to stay on the road most traveled, be patient, be courteous, try to be a part of our community, and be respectful.”
Many tourists left the island or tried to leave before the storm struck on Sept. 7. Līhuʻe Airport closed at 2:30 p.m. that day and did not reopen until about 24 hours later on Tuesday, after the winds subsided and the runways were inspected for damage.
On Thursday, Līhu‘e Airport was packed with people leaving Kauaʻi. A restaurant bartender said on Thursday night said the line of people waiting to get through the TSA checkpoint stretched out to the employee parking lot.
As of Saturday, things had calmed down at the airport, with people moving with ease through security.
Among them was Tammy McCants of Comfort, Tex. She and her husband arrived on Kaua‘i Saturday morning for a helicopter ride with Island Tours.
The couple planned the day trip to the Garden Island three months ago, in between five days in Honolulu and the final leg on the Big Island to visit Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.
After the hurricane hit, McCants said she saw posts on Facebook about there being no power at the airport, “but people kept saying to still come because ‘we need you to come,’ for business purposes.”
McCants said the views of Kaua‘i from the helicopter were spectacular, including Wai‘ale‘ale crater, Nāpali Coast and Manawaiopuna Falls, also known as Jurassic Falls.
But, the McCants also witnessed Lowell’s wrath: “Trees were stripped from the winds.”
While the couple was only on Kauaʻi for a few hours, Tammy McCants said everyone was kind and the trip went smoothly.
But normally bustling hotspots like Kalapaki Beach in Līhu‘e were relatively quiet Saturday morning, with few people scattered on the sandy shore.
Ronald Lampitoc, who works at Kaua‘i Beach Boys, a company that rents body boards and snorkel and surf gear, and offers lessons in stand-up paddle boarding, surfing and canoeing, said Saturday: “It’s been pretty slow.”
“You don’t see too many people walking around as much as usual. But what can you say? Hurricane Lowell was a pretty major thing to come, and you can’t just browse in like nothing happened.”
Lampitoc said the beach stand was open Monday before the category 2 storm hit the island later that evening. Impacts from the storm left sand everywhere, covering nearly all the grassy areas of the beach.
Clean up of the beach area, which fronts the Royal Sonesta Kaua‘i Resort, was quick and the beach club was reopened by Thursday. But two days later, two canoes were still flipped upside down several feet away from the shoreline.
The 17-year-old Lampitoc said he had to help get his house in Kapa‘a cleaned up before coming back to work on Saturday.
While communities across the island are still dealing with the aftermath, Lampitoc said Kaua‘i Beach Boys are blessed that damages were not too bad.
Lampitoc suggested anyone interested in visiting Kaua‘i should wait a couple of months. However, he added for those individuals still coming to visit, he suggested being mindful of the communities that are in recovery.
Kawakami is asking the visitor industry to offer customers the ability to change travel plans without a big financial hit: “Some of these visitors, they save up for a lifetime just to get here.”
He said: “I think we’re all going to be a part of this solution.”
